SHEEP BREEDING.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3011, 18 February 1881, Page 4

SHEEP BREEDING.

Mr W. Moody, late of writes a? felloe's on thu above subject to the Canterbnrv Times :—

Sir, —The little experience I have had in crossing bark towards Merino from longwoolled crosses i 3 at tho service of your correspondent and those interested in the subject. The stock upon .vliieh this crossing back was tried was raised in the usual way from Merino ewes by Leicester rams, and the Leicester strain continued until they arrived at all sorts of decimal fractions, Bomewliere near the neighborhood of purity. The ewes were woll grown and raised on English grass. Dissatisfied with the result from the following reasons : —lst. No commensurate increase in weight of wool, as the long-wool strain predominated. 2nd. Increasing tenderness of constitution. 3rd. Undesirable tendencies towards speedy mortality, when they turned on their backs and were unable to rise unless assisted, involving an amount of care and watchfulness which may suit the little flocks of farmers in the Old Country, but too expensive for the size of flocks in New Zealand at the rate and of the quality of labor ctiii-ent here. 4th. Never ending consumption of grass compared with smaller sheep in a similar fat condition. (In this I am certain from oft repeated observation thai; 2\ sheep of Merino or first-cross in the dend of winter would leave the pastures no more bare than two of the heavier breed per acre.) sth. Crossness of carcase and probable unsaleableness for household use, as compared with lighter sheep of from sOlb to 60 lb weight. These were tho reasons of dissatisfaution ■with what I had ; and having seen, in a cross raised by Mr George Scott, of Waitepeka, near Balclutha, from a few pure Leicester ewes and a pure Merino ram, 7 decided on trying back, and found the trial satisfactory. The return in appearance to the Merino type was remarkable, the lamb.showing clearly the impress of tho prepotent breed. I continued the system three seasons, and the following was the percentage of lambs : —101, 105, and 118 per cent. The number of lambs each season was about two thousand, so that a fair enough trial was given. The great majority of these lambs were similar in quality and style of wool, resembling much the first cross when the merino character predominates. I do not think it can be better described than by calling it a strong, coarse merino wool. I cannot say that there was much difference in the weight of] the fleecee over any other sort fed under similar conditions.

There were some lambs which showed their longwool pedigree plainly, but in 2000 there would not exceed 150 which would require culling out on that account. It is to me a matter of regret th-v, I could not follow out (as was my intention) the line of breeding, still going merinowards, because in forming a pare merino flock I ceuld not risk the breeding of two flocks on the same property. From the results I have seen, however, I do not hesitate asserting that for ordinary purposes the settler could not raise a more useful, handy, profitable sheep —as capable of surviving the " last straw," or appreciating good treatment, as any other sort. With the probability, at no distant date, of our producing powers being stimulated by the frozen meat process conveying our surplus to England, T do not think a more profitable sheep could be raised for that purpose than the sort I have described. They could with ordinarily fair treatment be aold at 18 months old weighing 55 lb to 6'i lb. The quality at this ajfo and weight would give New Zealand mutton a character that could not be rivalled by any country in the world.

Whether a permanent type could be raised Ido not know. 1 should say from what ' have tieen that it would not be difficult to fix (af er a few generations of selection) a type of uniform eharaetei - . Whether such a reeult would suit the wool markets is, I think, the most serious part of the question, as the supply of snch as wool would be so infinitesimal as to scarcely affect by its presence any demand or fashion, •-till, the character of the wool is so good that it might create a market for itself after becom ing known. No one need have any hesitation in trying the cross, the only advice in selecting merino rams being to get them as dense and firm as possible. The ewes give the length of staple, the raeriiios should fill tip the space and give fineness.